Sleeping Reef Sharks - Finally!!

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Pelagicsal

Dedicated Dive Bum
Messages
4,470
Reaction score
766
Location
A half-mile norte del Centro, Cozumel, Mx.
# of dives
2500 - 4999
At laaaaaaast! I was able to take Aldora Adventures, on Aldora V, far north to the caves of sleeping sharks. These reefs are somewhat different than what I have dived in Cozumel before. There are hills and patch reef, plenty of ledges for animals to play hide and seek, and small almost-amphitheater like areas surrounded by reef and undercuts. Profiles of the reef reached, probably, 10-15 feet from the sand floor (75-100'), made up of mostly gently rolling dunes of rocky coral, sponges, and even some sea fans among the gorgonia.


On our way north, DM Memo broke out the sea chart of Cozumel and surrounding waters and gave us a thorough briefing on the area we were approaching and the safety gear and procedures we would be using. It was my first time personally equipped with a Nautilus emergency radio and a reef hook. I carry my own SMB and reel. (What? You don't?? They have them to loan, if not.) We tested our submersible GPS/radio units, and got ready to dive.


Momia, former commercial fisherman and now member of Aldora Adventures' dynamic duo, hit the water first to check conditions and current. We quickly followed and descended toward the deep. Before we got down to the reef, almost every dive, we had an eagle ray greeting committee, made up of one to seven eagle rays who were our escort for much of each dive.


We began with La Loma, The Hill, dropping down into one of these small amphitheaters and peeking under the ledge to see if anyone was napping. No luck this time, so we cleaned up the lionfish there and went exploring this new area - new to me, anyway! Horse-eyed jacks, a huge school, kept watch while we poked around, finding lobsters, crabs, and plenty of fish near and under the ledges. Time ran out too soon, and we headed up for surface interval to talk about what we'd seen and watch crew members David and Momia turn lionfish into some amazing ceviche!


El Puente Dos was our next stop. We waved to our eagle ray escort and headed to the cave. AND THERE HE WAS!!! I called this fine gray reef shark at 8 feet, but the guys all said he was 10 feet. In either case, he was a big shark with his head propped up on a rocky pillow. He was lying mostly on his left side with his pectoral fin in the sand and his dorsal fin pointing out toward us. His tail was relaxed out across the sand floor of the cave. He looked as though he'd be just fine with a diver snuggling up, throwing an arm around him and joining in on his nap. I smiled for a long time, thinking about that.


We watched him for awhile, could almost hear his snoring as his mouth and gill slits moved gently in his sleep. There is no source of fresh water and water flow was not great in the cave, so I guess he could just gulp enough water over his gills to support him in this resting state.


As we left him, nearby we found the usual sleeping shark - a nurse shark of comparable size, snoozing under a ledge. That made for a good comparison with the reef shark we had seen, showing us just how special a sighting the sleeping reef shark was.


At El Puente Dos, we also had dozens of medium-large great barracudas hovering above the reef watching for tasty morsels. They would fade in and out of sight like ghostly hunters. A few more lionfish came off this reef, too, ready for preparation and plate later!


All too soon, the surface and lionfish ceviche called, and we headed up to chatter excitedly about seeing something we had never seen before - a big gray reef shark immoble, stretched out in his shady bed, passing the morning like a lazy teenager.


Our third tank was El Guarderia. Southern sting rays awaited us on the sand, below a couple of eagle rays, as we worked our way to our third cave of the day. Nobody was sleeping there this time, so maybe I will just have to go back! But the rays, hunting or resting, and very numerous squirrel fish kept things interesting as we surveyed our last new reef of the day.


Here, there were deep overhangs with lionfish tucked long the walls and ceilings in the back. Quite gratifying to glide in, spot and take one from the shadows, then another and another, until they were all gone. With them, under the ledges, were spotted and slipper lobsters watching the show. Even saw a few amberjack and huge permit cruising about.


As we reluctantly took leave of the bottom, we watched below for turtles, rays, and fish while admiring the new seascape. When Memo climbed the ladder, he told us he'd spotted another interesting looking area that could easily be described as Las Lomitas - The Little Hills. The adventure and exploration continues!
 
I am so jealous! Hope to get up there in July. I'm just shocked that the men thought it was bigger and the woman thought it was smaller. Force of habit, I guess.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Will have to see what I can scout out. I didn't take pictures, but there are some about, DjDiverDan. You can check YouTube, too, for videos of the sharks sleeping in their caves. Try searching Aldora, Cozumel, and sleeping sharks.

Don, I've always heard that if a shark looks big, it's about 8 feet. He was big, but I didn't think he was larger than that. All in the way you measure maybe? :wink:
And yes, I giggled a little that the men estimated it larger...

You got that right, cicopo! I'd definitely like more chances to see them!
 
The u tube site is "La Siesta Del Tiburon 3" for a great video of two Sleeping sharks.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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